Misdeclared Dangerous Goods: The Risk, the Statistics and How Screening Helps

Misdeclared dangerous goods are hazardous cargoes shipped under an incorrect or incomplete description, or not declared at all. They matter because a container that is not declared correctly is not stowed, segregated or handled as its contents require, and industry data links misdeclaration to around a quarter of cargo-related incidents. Screening booking data before loading is one of the most practical ways carriers can find these shipments.

What counts as a misdeclared dangerous good?

Industry reports generally group the problem into two categories:

• Misdeclared – dangerous goods declared with the wrong UN number, proper shipping name, class or packing group, or under a vague or misleading commodity description.
• Undeclared – dangerous goods shipped as general cargo with no dangerous goods declaration at all.

Some cases are deliberate, for example to avoid surcharges or acceptance restrictions. Many are not: shippers may not realise that a product is regulated, or that a familiar item counts as a dangerous good. Examples cited by the US Department of Transportation and listed on the Hazcheck Detect page include ammonium nitrate fertilisers, refrigerant gases, lead-acid batteries, propane tanks, aerosol cans, oxygen tanks and chlorinating tablets.

Why misdeclaration is so dangerous

The IMDG Code’s controls rely on accurate declarations. Stowage position, segregation from incompatible cargo, placarding and emergency response information all follow from what the shipper declares. If the declaration is wrong, a container of oxidisers or lithium batteries may be stowed next to a heat source or incompatible goods. The crew may also fight a fire without knowing what is burning. Allianz notes that improper declarations can lead to containers being stowed in unsuitable locations on board and can hamper firefighting.

The statistics: what the data shows

Ship fires and incident causes

The Allianz Commercial Safety and Shipping Review 2026, as reported by the World Shipping Council (WSC) and gCaptain in June 2026, found that:

• a container ship fire occurs on average every 17 days;
• more than 200 fire incidents involving vessels were recorded in 2025, the second-highest annual total of the past decade;
• misdeclared cargo accounts for around a quarter of cargo-related incidents; and
• volumes of lithium-ion batteries moved by sea in 2025 were six times higher than five years earlier.

The “quarter of incidents” figure is consistent with earlier data from the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS), set up by major container lines to share information on cargo incidents. Trade press reporting of CINS data in 2016 put misdeclaration at 24% of incident cases.

What container inspections find

Physical inspections show how often declarations fail to match what is in the box. After the 2018 fire on board the Maersk Honam, NCB offered 500 free container inspections to CINS member lines. Its white paper reported that:

• 274 of the 500 containers (55%) failed with one or more deficiencies;
• 69% of inspected dangerous goods import containers and 38% of dangerous goods export containers failed;
• failed documentation or misdeclaration was found in 8% of dangerous goods imports (12 of 158) and 5% of dangerous goods exports (5 of 105), or 17 of 263 dangerous goods containers overall (about 6.5%); and
• 43% of all containers failed on cargo securing.

NCB later reported that a targeted remote inspection programme in South Africa for a major shipping line found a 74% failure rate, and that 37% of the non-compliant loads contained misdeclared and/or undeclared dangerous goods. In 2023, NCB launched a second Container Inspections Safety Initiative to measure how widespread the problem remains.

These samples were targeted, not random, so they should not be read as industry-wide rates. They do show that inspection regularly finds problems the paperwork does not reveal.

How screening helps

Carriers cannot physically inspect every container, so the industry increasingly relies on screening booking data to decide which shipments to check. Common approaches include:

• Keyword and description screening – flagging commodity descriptions that often hide regulated goods, such as “hand tools” that turn out to be battery-powered.
• Rule libraries – combining keywords, commodity data and booking attributes into rules that target known misdeclaration patterns.
• Pattern and behaviour analysis – identifying unusual trade patterns or booking behaviour.
• Change monitoring – re-screening when bookings are amended close to cut-off.
• Targeted inspection – sending flagged shipments for physical verification and feeding the results back into the rules.

The WSC Cargo Safety Program

In September 2025, the World Shipping Council launched its Cargo Safety Program. It combines a digital screening tool, common inspection standards and an incident feedback loop. As reported by The Maritime Executive, the screening tool is powered by NCB technology and scans bookings in real time using keyword searches, trade pattern recognition and AI-driven algorithms. Carriers representing more than 70% of global TEU capacity joined at launch. WSC cites a case in which a shipment declared as “hand tools” was found to contain lithium-ion battery-powered tools.

Hazcheck Detect

Hazcheck Detect is an API-based, integrated cargo screening solution that detects misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods in containerised shipments. It:

• accepts full customer booking data through a real-time API;
• applies rule libraries that identify both misdeclared and undeclared cargo, with rules that are continually developed and shared across industry groups;
• identifies suspicious cargo within seconds and flags last-minute booking changes in real time; and
• provides a configurable user interface for case management and semi-automated workflows.

Hazcheck Detect is used by shipping lines operating globally and is endorsed by the World Shipping Council. A Maersk case study is available on the product page. Detect sits alongside Hazcheck Validate, which checks declared dangerous goods against the IMDG Code, 49 CFR and ADR. Together they cover both sides of the problem: checking that declared cargo is compliant, and finding cargo that should have been declared.

To discuss screening for your bookings, contact NCB Hazcheck.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between misdeclared and undeclared dangerous goods?

Misdeclared goods are declared as dangerous but with incorrect details, such as the wrong UN number or class. Undeclared goods are dangerous but shipped as general cargo without any declaration.

How common are misdeclared dangerous goods?

Allianz reports that misdeclared cargo accounts for around a quarter of cargo-related incidents. In NCB’s 500-container inspection initiative, about 6.5% of dangerous goods containers failed on documentation or misdeclaration.

Why do shippers misdeclare cargo?

Some do it deliberately to avoid surcharges or restrictions. Many cases come from not realising a product is regulated or from errors in classification and documentation.

Can screening replace physical inspection?

No. Screening decides which shipments most need checking. Physical inspection confirms what is in the container, and the results improve future screening.

How does Hazcheck Detect integrate with booking systems?

Detect is API-based. It accepts full booking data in real time and returns results within seconds, with a configurable interface for managing flagged cases.

Sources

• NCB Hazcheck – Hazcheck Detect
• NCB Hazcheck – Hazcheck Validate
• World Shipping Council – Misdeclared dangerous goods remain a persistent threat (24 June 2026)
• gCaptain – Containership fire breaks out every 17 days as misdeclared cargo remains major threat (June 2026)
• The Maritime Executive – World Shipping Council launches Cargo Safety Program (15 September 2025)
• NCB – Container Inspection Safety Initiative white paper
• NCB Hazcheck – NCB Container Inspections Safety Initiative (5 September 2023)
• FreightWaves – Container inspections reveal misdeclared cargo, poor stowage (6 September 2019)
• Container Management – Mis-declared cargo causes over a quarter of incidents on ships (August 2016)